Leather-splitting machine



(No Model.)

A. G. WEBSTER.

LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 347,402. v

Patented Aug. 1'7, 1886.

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Wt 3168888. m6.

Jawbflilorney N. PETERS, Pholu-Ulhugnphar. Wuhington, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT F ICE,

ANDREW G. WEBSTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-SPLlTT-ING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,402, dated August17, 1886,

Application filed March 1, 1886. Serial No. 193,566. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW G.WEBsTER, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Leather-Splitting Machines, of which the following, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of leathersplitting machines in whichan endless or belt knife is use, and particularly to the mechanism forconveying or drawing the leather away from the knife after it has beensplit, and itis an improvement upon the machine described in LettersPatent N 0. 288,551, granted to Eustace Cummings, November 13, 1883; andit consists in certain novel arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be readily understood by reference to the description.

' and driven in the usual way, and a, a, and c represent the ordinaryfeed-rolls, by means of which the leather is presented to the action ofthe knife, all constructed, arranged, and operating in a well-knownmanner.

It is a well-known fact that great trouble has been experienced with thebelt-knife splitting-machine as formerly constructed, on account of thetendency of the leather to sag before reaching the knife, after passingthe feed.- rolls, the result of which was an uneven thickness of theleather after being split. This difficulty was partially overcome by theemployment of a draft-roll b,placed in the rear of and above the knife,so as to draw the upper part of the side of leather after being splitupward with considerable tension, for the purpose of counteracting thetendency of the leather to sag between the feed-rolls and the edge ofthe knife. It was found, however, that in order to obtain a satisfactoryresult with a machine organized as described, it was necessary for theattendant, whose duty it was to take the leather from the machine afterit was split, to pull down upon the upper portion of the leather whichpassed over the roll I) with considerable force, which, owing to thedirection in which said force had to be exerted, and the fact that ithad to be exercised during ten hours of every day, rendered theattendants duties very laborious and undesirable. In experimenting tofind a remedy for this difficulty, I have found that by placing ,anotherand larger roll, 0, in suitable bearing at the rear of the roll I), in aposition to draw the leather from the periphery of the roll I) at adifferent angle to that in which it moves between the knife and the rollI), said roll Chaving its periphery composed of soft rubber felt orother suitable material to form a frictional surface, and having powerapplied thereto by an independent belt, 0, to revolve it so that itsperipheral surface shall move at a speed slightly greater than that atwhich the peripheral surface of the roll 1) moves, a sufficient tensionis obtained upon the upper part of the split side of leather to overcomethe tendency of the leather to sag between the feed-rolls and the knife,and thus insure an even thickness of said upper portion of the splitskin or side of leather, and at the same time the labor of y theattendant is very much lightened, it only being necessary for him topress the leather to closer contact with the roll 0 along the center orback of the skin or side of leather by placing his hands upon saidleather as it is passing over said roll. The rolls 0 and b are drivenfrom pulleys of difierent diameters mounted upon the same overhead shaftby means of the belts c and d.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination, with the belt-knifeB, the feed and gage rolls a and a and the draft-roll b, the roll 0,mounted in bearings at the rear of the roll I), and mechanism forrevolving the roll 0 independently of the roll I), substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with abelt-knife and feed and gage rolls of aleather-splitting machine, and-the draft-roll I), located above thelevel of ICO the cutting-plane of the knife, the roll 0 having itsperiphery covered with rubber or similar frictional material and mountedin bearings at the rear of the roll b,with its upper surface in positionto draw the leather from the roll I) at a diflerent angle to the line ofdraft of said roll I), substantially as described.

8. In combination with the belt-knife and feed and gage rolls of aleather-splitting machine and the roll I), arranged to draw the leatherupward from the knife, the roll 0, mounted in bearings at the rear ofthe roll Z), with its upper surface in position to draw the

